MOSCOW, October 25. /TASS/. Russia is not influencing the electoral processes in Georgia and Moldova, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
"We are in no way trying to influence the development of the situation and electoral processes in these countries (Moldova and Georgia - TASS). We do not interfere in Georgian affairs; it is up to the Georgian people to make their own decisions," the spokesman said.
Peskov emphasized that Moscow sees unprecedented attempts by the West to interfere in the elections. "They are not only trying to twist Tbilisi's arm; they are practically dictating their terms. It is hard to imagine how the proud Georgian people tolerate such ultimatums, which are thrown at them daily," the Kremlin spokesman added.
"As for Moldova, we did not interfere there either. However, noticeable anomalies in the vote counts during the referendum were evident," Peskov said.
"The Moldovan leadership does not bother to explain these anomalies. Specialists, of course, are asking questions and treating the results of this referendum with confusion. We shall monitor the elections and their second round," he added.
Elections in Moldova and Georgia
On October 20, Moldova held presidential elections and a referendum on EU accession, proposing to amend the constitution to include language on the "irreversibility" of the European course and to declare EU integration as a "strategic goal." The Central Election Commission (CEC) reported that after processing 100% of the protocols, 50.46% of those who voted in the referendum supported the constitutional amendments, while 49.54% opposed them. The CEC data indicated that more than 55,000 people did not cast their ballots. The referendum was unsuccessful in the Gagauz autonomy and at polling stations for residents of unrecognized Transnistria. In Gagauzia, 94.84% of voters opposed EU accession, while 62.56% of voters in Transnistria also rejected it. No polling stations were established in the unrecognized republic.
Parliamentary elections in Georgia are scheduled for October 26 and will be the first to use electronic ballot boxes, which will be installed at 74% of polling stations, covering almost 90% of voters. In addition to devices that read votes from ballots, technology will also be used to verify voters.